Trump ignites culture war around U.S. hockey gold medal winners

Champagne was still flowing in Team USA’s locker room after winning its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey in nearly five decades when President Donald Trump called for celebration, sparking the country’s latest culture war that has pitted some of the sport’s biggest stars against each other.

After beating Canada 2-1 on Sunday, when New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime, the group gathered in the locker room with FBI Director Kash Patel, who The Athletic reported had been invited to the celebration by Team USA general manager Bill Guerin.

Amid the chaos, Patel pulled out his phone to call Trump, who invited the men’s team to Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

The president then joked that if he didn’t invite their female counterparts – who had also beaten Team Canada in overtime to win the gold medal a few days earlier – “I think I’d probably be removed.”

The men burst out laughing.

That moment captured on video has since sparked outrage online, sparking a wave of negativity toward the men’s team, who seemed quick to criticize their teammates for agreeing with Trump. (One player could be heard in the video saying “absolutely” when Trump said he should invite the women, while another shouted “two for two,” recognizing the men’s and women’s gold medals).

The episode devolved into a heated back-and-forth online between fans who disavow the men for laughing at Trump’s remark and others who sense there is a rush to judgment amid a brief moment of unity for the country. Meanwhile, conservatives praised the players for making unabashedly patriotic statements after the victory, saying how proud they were to be Americans.

The controversy comes amid a unique year for hockey, after the sport attracted new fans thanks to the Olympics and the popularity of “Heated Rivalry,” a hockey romance show centered on same-sex relationships. The National Hockey League adopted the spectacle as part of a years-long effort to increase the sport’s appeal.

Despite the backlash online, it appears the men’s hockey team plans to attend the State of the Union after a brief stop in Miami. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would “shut down” the players by finding them seats in the chamber, following Trump’s request to make room for the team.

On Tuesday, an Instagram post from Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, a member of Team USA, appeared to show most of the team preparing to board a government flight to Washington, DC.

“We’re going to see them and we’re going to celebrate them tonight,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said at a news conference Tuesday about the men’s team.

The women’s team, however, declined Trump’s invitation, with a spokesperson saying the team “deeply appreciates”[s] recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” but were unable to attend the State of the Union due to prior commitments. The team also did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by NBC News. (Some members of the women’s team liked Instagram posts criticizing the men’s team’s response to Trump’s comment.)

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dominik Hašek, a former NHL Hall of Fame goaltender who has been outspoken on a number of issues, including the war in Ukraine, praised the women for rejecting Trump’s invitation.

“Yes, your president is a big liar and an impostor who abuses his position to insult and intimidate his fellow citizens,” wrote Czech Hašek on X. “But I think you must have shown a lot of heroism in making this decision. Thank you for that.”

As an alternative to the State of the Union, Flavor Flav invited the women’s hockey team to Las Vegas for “a real celebration,” which he said would include “good dinners, shows and good times.” (He added that he would also invite the skeleton and bobsleigh teams.)

“We saw the story of the men’s invitation to the White House, and the women’s team,” Flavor Flav wrote in what he said was a “formal invitation” sent to the women’s hockey team.

“If there is any interest in the team coming to Las Vegas and celebrating with Flav, we will find out on our end and make it a great experience,” the invitation adds.

It was not immediately clear whether the women accepted Flavor Flav’s invitation.

Jack Hughes and his brother Quinn Hughes, who became the most recognizable names on Team USA throughout the Games, are now facing scrutiny for their reaction to Trump’s comments.

“We’re so proud to represent the United States and when you get a chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans and it’s so patriotic,” Jack Hughes told the Daily Mail on Monday. “Whatever your opinions, we are very excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of it.”

Critical comments were made about the administration during the games. Skier Hunter Hess said representing the United States is “a little difficult” right now, considering “there’s obviously a lot of stuff going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.” In response, Trump called Hess a “real loser.”

The Hughes brothers were also criticized for laughing at Trump’s comment because their mother, Ellen Hughes, is a famous player who serves as a consultant to the women’s team.

She told the “TODAY” show that the double gold medals “speak volumes about American hockey and the state of our sport in this great country.”

Asked about the video of the men’s team chatting with Trump, she said “it’s all about the country” and that people on both sides of the aisle were celebrating the men’s and women’s gold medals.

“If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, the dorms and the hallways and the flex floors, the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women encourage the men and the way the men encourage the women — that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “And the other things they can’t control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country.”

Despite the backlash, Jack Hughes told “TODAY” on Tuesday that the support he’s felt since scoring that golden goal has been incredible.

He added that when he scored the winning goal, he thought of Megan Keller, who had scored a golden goal a few days earlier to win the women’s tournament. On Monday, Keller posted a photo on Instagram of the two athletes kissing with their gold medals.

“If there was a camera on Quinn and I when the women’s team won, we would look like the biggest superfans of all time,” Hughes said. “We were jumping up and down. We couldn’t believe it… One of my first thoughts was her, and I’m so proud to join her as a gold medalist.”